Threats to your internet and data security, both at home and in the office, are now pretty well known. But, like any battle, the threats and risks change on a daily basis. August saw the DefCon hacker event take place in Las Vegas, with the world's "good" white-hat hackers showing off just how easy it is to hack the many Internet of Things devices that are on, or coming to, the home and business markets. 

Hackers target your home

Since most of these devices use IP connections, they are vulnerable to attack or monitoring. And, since makers want to build millions of IoT things, they need to keep the costs down as much as possible. That creates security gaps where hackers could sneak in. One example at the show demonstrated how ransomware could be delivered over a smart thermostat (http://www.internetofbusiness.co.uk/insight/2016/08/30/5251/). Imagine that hitting hundreds of thousands of homes at once, with people having to pay up to get their heat turned on? 

Other devices that can be hacked include smart locks, which can be electronically sniffed by anyone standing close enough to pick up the signal. In most cases that's only a few feet due to the range of the Bluetooth radios, but new Bluetooth standards and better hacking equipment might mean the signal, and therefore access to your door lock, can be hacked from outside the building. Assuming they can also turn off any motion sensors or other alarms, hackers could gain easy access to any smart home. 

Still, you might be watching, eagle eyed on your smart home security camera! However, problems with the security of web cams and similar devices are also well known, and in the Internet of Things era, these devices could actively be used against people. We've seen movies where a criminal or hero records a few seconds of blank room with no activity and loops that video while they break into a property. That could easily be done by hackers with access to your web feed, assuming the encryption is not strong enough or there is a weak point somewhere on the cloud server that all this data goes through. 

Then there's your smart lights, designed to save energy and react to when you come home. If a hacker can take control of those, you can suddenly be left blind at night, fumbling for a torch or regular lamp in what could turn into a nightmare scenario. People relying on smart technology should definitely keep manual backups to hand wherever possible. 

Companies working to secure the IoT

Trust plays a massive part in consumers accepting any technology. So, the companies that are building these devices are trying their best to protect us with strong encryption, two-factor authentication and smart monitoring of their services for protection. However there will always be a weak spot and as recent news has shown, government teams, like the US National Security Agency (https://theintercept.com/2016/08/19/the-nsa-was-hacked-snowden-documents-confirm/) and hacking groups are saving up collections of vulnerabilities for the best time to strike.

So, not matter how hard they try, users will find themselves facing attacks at some point in the future. While you might not fancy learning the ins and outs of web security, even a basic understanding will help you protect your systems and personal data, such as passwords, online banking and other valuables. 

You must protect yourself

When it comes to using any technology, users need to be aware of both the technology and their actions. Logging onto a random WiFi router in a public place is the digital equivalent of shouting your bank PIN code around. Using shopping or important service websites without a HTTPS: header on the URL is similarly asking for trouble (even our site has one for added security to ensure a protected connection). Using virtual private networks can help you stay secure when you are accessing servers or sites while on business travel, or just out and about. 

The same level of defence is needed when it comes to setting up your smart home or Internet of Things devices. A years old router with a weak password is just inviting trouble as hackers will have discovered any vulnerabilities for these. New smart secure routers like the F-Secure Sense (https://sense.f-secure.com/) can actively monitor your connections and all internet activity, and alert the user to anything suspicious. Naturally, there's a subscription fee attached for that extra smart protection, as the developers look to make money from their smart devices. However, the investment will become a standard part of future routers and is worth it to protect your systems and information. 

Having the maximum level of protection across your mobile and PC devices can't eliminate the threat of hackers, but it can do a lot to minimise it. So, when considering your next technology upgrades, make sure you understand the risks and get the right hardware or services to remain safe.